Computer history: 12 facts about this technological apparatus

Despite seeming a recent technology (and being so essential in our lives), the history of the computer is long and not new. The difference is that it wasn't exactly the format it is today, but the concept has always been similar.

At its core, a computer is a machine that processes data. But he was also once a machine to do calculations, that is, to compute. Nowadays, of course, computers are much more than that, and there are those who have almost their entire lives stored in the machine. Check out some historical facts about this technological gem.

Was Stonehenge the First Computer?

If you're wondering if the Stonehenge What we're talking about is that mysterious stone structure that must look scary on a Friday the 13th night, yes, it's itself. Well, it is believed that the structure erected around 3.000 BC, with three distinct phases of construction (separated by many years of difference) was, in fact, the first computer, as it was used to predict some astronomical events.

Thus, it is believed that Stonehenge was the first computer, since its basic function was to assist in the calculation of phenomena such as eclipses, for example. Through the stones, it was possible to predict the alignment of the celestial bodies and such facts guided actions in the customs of the time, such as agriculture and war. This makes the computer something much older than we can imagine (and since that time it has already controlled people's lives).

It is worth mentioning that, as there were three distinct phases of construction, it is possible that the site was also used as a religious temple. It's as if each person responsible for a phase had a different idea of ​​what to do with the place.

Antikythera Mechanism: The Great-Grandfather of the Modern Computer

Now, if you don't think the idea that Stonehenge was the first computer, perhaps you believe that the Antikythera Mechanism take the post. Over 2000 years old and made of bronze, it is considered the world's first analog computer.

The object was found on a Greek island (from which it bears the name, antikythera) in the early 1900s and it took a long time to understand that the mildew-like stone contraption was indeed a very powerful tool. Its construction is full of meanings: from the way the Greeks believed that the orientation of the planets was to numbers important for astronomy on the gears.

In the beginning, the Antikythera Mechanism was believed to be used to trace the movements of the planets, predict eclipses, signal Olympic games, and even do basic math. However, it was later discovered that he could be a guide to the galaxy (no, it wasn't like in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).

It is not known exactly who invented it, although many attribute the feat to the famous Archimedes. What really surprised the scholars is that the precision with which the contraption tracked celestial bodies was immense.

Are abacus computers?

Enquanto or Antikythera Mechanism was lost on Greek islands waiting to be found, Europe and Asia turned to do math on abacuses. If you show a child an abacus and tell him he's a computer, chances are he'll laugh at you (and maybe say you can't throw anything at that "thing"). However, if we compare functionality, the abacus was used to do calculations, just like the computer.

Gradually, the abacus was adapted to have variations in different regions of the world. O Suan Pan, Chinese abacus, was used in the construction of the Great Wall of China, for example.

Charles Babbage's Differential Machine

The differential machine, invented by the scientist Charles Babbage, does not yet have the “face” of a computer, but it is a sign of when it is already starting to take shape. The invention was used to do calculations with polynomials, and while it was an advanced feature, it was never really used on an industrial scale.

The machine received data, processed and displayed it, much like a current computer. Thats how Babbage became the “computer father”. However, his project to create a more complex model did not come to fruition. Even so, the analytics engine and punch-card system guided what the modernization of computing would be.

The first person to code was a woman: Ada Lovelace

Every time someone imagines that computing is “boy thing”, Ada Lovelace turns over in the grave. That's because she was the first person to write a computer program, that is, the first programmer in history.

Lovelace was born in 1815 and was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron. It was while working with Babbage who, when translating an article, made several notes about it. So, she wrote code that could detail sequences of numbers from bernoulli in the analytical engine of Babbage. The first algorithm appeared.

Alan Turing's contribution to the history of the computer

By now, you may have seen that the computer is beginning to take the shape of the machine we know today. The theoretical foundation of the modern digital computer started from the idea of Alan Turing when he was finishing his studies at Cambridge.

In a publication in 1936 (On Computable Numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem), Turing proposes a solution to a problem that was apparently impossible, the Decision problem (and impossible to pronounce too, right?). However, for that, Turing also proposes the creation of a universal machine that could compute any number derived from mathematical operations, that is, any problem that could be expressed symbolically.

Turing created its universal machine – called Turing machine – based on the way the human mind makes calculations. It's the abstract idea of ​​a computer.

the big balcony of Turing it was precisely to think about the way the human mind computed the numbers and not how the calculators of the time did it. The idea then shifts from tables to a logical sequence in which the states of what is calculated change depending on the situation. This is called “decision making”.

von Neumann's architecture

John von Neumann is one of the big names that walk alongside Turing in computer history. Among his numerous contributions, one of them was the idea of ​​stored program architecture, in which it is possible to store programs on the computer and not need to feed them to the machine every time it is used.

The idea of von Neumann it would have the following components: memory, arithmetic and logic unit and a central processing unit (also known as CPU). Furthermore, there would be a control unit that would search for the program in memory and execute it, following the algorithm's instructions. Very close to the computer we know. (www.newsoftwares.net)

In short, with your brilliant idea, von Neumann it reduced the immense work of having us install an operating system every time we wanted to use a computer. Then comes the basis of the modern computer.

Grace Hopper, the grandma of COBOL and UNIVAC

Grace Hopper is known as the grandma of the COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language, something like “Common Business Oriented Language”), the first “human” computer language. Hopper is also affectionately called queen of computing, Great Lady of Software and other illustrious titles.

Hopper was an admiral and systems analyst for the United States Navy between 1940 and 1950. There, she created the programming language called Flow-Matic, which served as the basis for the COBOL. Even though it is not directly linked to the emergence of the COBOL, this language would probably not exist without it.

A curiosity is that Grace Hopper is also linked to the term “bug” in computing. She was looking for what was wrong with her computer when she discovered that there was an insect (a bug) inside it. the computer of Hopper It was literally "bugged".

Hopper also worked as part of the team responsible for developing the UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer in the United States. Several companies bought the UNIVAC I for a small fortune at the time. In the 60s even Brazil had one (acquired by the IBGE also for a small fortune).

The transistor revolution

O transistor – that little semiconductor piece capable of exchanging electronic signals – was fundamental to the modern computer. Its need arose from the fact that computers used some valves that were neither practical nor efficient.

It was only in 1947 that the transistor, based on research carried out by the laboratory of the bell telephoneand. Scientists noticed that the signal was amplified when they applied voltage to one of the terminals. So they found that they could use multiple transistors together and voilà, revolutionized computers.

Present in almost all modern electronics, the transistor was improved over time and allowed the reduction in the size of computers, opening the gap so that the use of these machines was no longer just commercial and could be personal.

Apple vs Microsoft and Personal Computers

Almost everyone who has watched a movie from the Steve Jobs or the history of Apple know that the duo of steves (o Jobs and Wozniak) and Bill Gates have played a part in the history of the computer, making them more popular. O Apple II, released in 1977, for example, is considered one of the first personal computers.

However, the Apple II it wasn't very intuitive and it was still very “nerdy stuff”. Some consider that the first truly user-oriented personal computer was the IBM PC 5150. The design of these early computers is already much more like the concept of a computer we have in our heads, with a monitor, a CPU and a keyboard.

The revolutionary and wonderful internet

oh, the Internet, that Brazilian favorite virtual object… Despite not being linked only to the computer itself, the internet is a great milestone in the history of computing (you can even divide the world into before and after the internet). That's because it connected the world, literally, and allowed the advancement of humanity in many ways.

The internet was revolutionary not only for personal use, but also for the global economy and business (good old globalization). Think about what life was like for many of us who had to resort to information in newspapers and wait for the encyclopedias to be updated to be able to do a school project and what life is like for a student today who has millions of information on a topic in seconds. , for example.

Quantum computing: what the future holds

Every day we see an update on the computação quântica, Holy Grail of current computing. This is because we are getting closer and closer to a quantum computer, but we need to develop a lot of technology to reach this “another level”.

In a revolutionary sense, what quantum computing promises us is incredible. Encryption, for example, is no longer secure, but the new technology has other forms of security, such as those involving quantum entanglement and connected pairs of photons carrying information.

The biggest problem is that in quantum nothing works exactly the way we are used to (ie forget what you learned in Newton's classical mechanics). So, we need specific materials that provide phenomena that are, until then, just concepts.

Deep down, the history of computing shows us that what has been done, so far, goes far beyond trying to create a machine to make human life easier. The advancement of computing represents the human mind trying to develop something that surpasses itself.

Sources: Interesting Engineering; cs.uri